Introducing the “Little Sun” – The beautifully designed solar powered lamp that is 10 times cheaper than kerosene lamps

Can we all say death to the kerosene lamp? Little Sun, a beautifully designed solar powered lamp hopes to put a nail in the coffin of kerosene lamps the way “Gravity Light” another technology we had earlier announced plans to do so.

Why is the kerosene lamp so dangerous?

According to the World Bank, breathing kerosene fumes is the equivalent of smoking two packets of cigarettes a day and two-thirds of adult females with lung cancer in developing nations are non-smokers.

Using the kerosene lamp is inefficient, dangerous and expensive not to mention its serious health and environmental drawbacks.

By some estimates, the fumes produced by kerosene lamps are bigger killers than malaria and they kill an estimated 1.5 million people every year.

Researcher Kristen Radecsky estimates that ‘Kerosene lamps burn 470 million barrels of oil per year worldwide, releasing 190 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere annually, the equivalent of 30 million cars.’

It is against the backdrop of these serious dangers and limitations that technologies like the “Little Sun” hope to eliminate the usage of kerosene lamps in Africa and elsewhere globally.

What is the Little Sun?

The little sun is a beautifully designed 12cm-wide solar-powered LED light that aims to bring clean, affordable light to the 1.6 billion people worldwide who have no access to the electrical grid.

The Little Sun global project is driven by 3 components:

1. An attractive and highly functional light in the shape of a hand-sized sun.

2. A social business model that allows distributors in off-grid areas to profit while bringing affordable light to local users.

3. A network of commercial, cultural, and social organisations and individuals that actively support and promote the Little Sun project, getting light to where it matters the most.

The “Little Sun” has a solar panel strapped to its back and with four hours of charging, it delivers five hours of light and ten times more lighting that a kerosene lamp delivers. It is estimated to last about three years and up to 20 years by replacing the battery.

The Little Sun ‘s wholesale price is about $5.30 and expect that the light will sell at a retail price of about $10. It claims to be ten times cheaper than kerosene lamps with families spending an estimated $10 on kerosene lamps every month.

Essentially, families are getting extreme value for money according to the Little Sun’s founder because they are paying for one month worth of kerosene powered light to get three years worth of light.

Watch the Little Sun’s founder, Olafur Eliasson speak about the technology in the video below.

Share this:

Like this:

Every year, CP-Africa attracts millions of unique visitors that want to learn about technology, innovation & the future of business in Africa. To become a contributor, e-mail editor@cp-africa.com. For adverts and sponsorships, e-mail adverts@cp-africa.com